40 years old- worst shape of my life and the future is bleak

You kind of had me going until I saw "skinny fat" and then the comment about being out of breath coming up the stairs.

I'm going to the gym when I drop the kids off in the AM, should be there by 7:30 and I'll just start work a little later. Going to shoot for some intervals on an eliptical or similar machine. Probably 35-40 minutes total.

I'll check back tomorrow.

Thanks again for the ideas and encouragement.

I to was forced to hang up the spikes due to a freak accident (truncheon to the knee) I was still allowed to play doubles tennis, loads of fun, very competitive if you can get the right setup. Nordic skiing is the finest substitute I've found for running, both the training and racing experience as well as the physical stimulus and fun, you can roller ski also in the offseason. If that's not available in your area, or you need something to do in the warm months, road biking is great although it is time consuming to do at a high level, especially with kids.

Old fat and slow wrote:

wait, really?? wrote:

You can do any exercise except run. So, the place you go to look for tips for getting back into shape is a running forum? Also - you couldn't google a non-running fitness program, really?

The incredible stupidity of people should stop surprising me, but it doesn't.

This isn't the only place I'm researching this, just looking for some input from the community. Thanks for your support.

I have to wonder why "wait,really??" would take the time to make that post.

This is a good place to bounce some ideas and to think aloud (although you always risk a post like above but obviously you are too secure to let any nonsense post bother you)

Let me take a crazy shot here. You were a very good athlete who based much of your sense of self in how athletic you were. You were competitive too. Its hard to get started and work when you are not where you think you should be. It might almost be something you know you should do but the reality of your current condition causes you to avoid.

You need a brand new measurable or competitive sport that you can start working your way up again.

(Your handle doesn't help - that kind of deprecating, even in jest descriptor, really doesn't help.)

old 800 man wrote:

I to was forced to hang up the spikes due to a freak accident (truncheon to the knee)

Do tell

my story is a lot like the OP. Except i am a little older...3 kids...and fatter. i recently decided i owed it to my kids to get moving again.

my question is the the guys who came back from "career ending" injuries. people in this thread are saying they can now run again after they were told they never would again. just how does that happen. my knee is a mess after a failed microfracture years ago and i'd just love to know what it feels like to run again.

I hear ya but when I was your age I felt the best and now..6+ yrs later I feel like you. Hey, I know it's only a few years off but you never know what circumstances or changes in your life bring you. Make the most of it, dude.

since xfit guy is not going to hijack this thread, or can't because he's disguised as OP, I will say one of the best ways to gain overall fitness is to learn to throw.

The importance of throwing to humans can't be overstated. Human hands evolved the power grip to be able to grasp and throw spears and other weapons. It is the one athletic area where humans dominate all the other animals. Even the apes live in awe of our ability to accurately throw pointy things great distances.

The more you throw things, the more functional power you'll develop in your upper body, which will carry over to other sports like racquets and fighting.

Bad Wigins wrote:

since xfit guy is not going to hijack this thread, or can't because he's disguised as OP, I will say one of the best ways to gain overall fitness is to learn to throw.

The importance of throwing to humans can't be overstated. Human hands evolved the power grip to be able to grasp and throw spears and other weapons. It is the one athletic area where humans dominate all the other animals. Even the apes live in awe of our ability to accurately throw pointy things great distances.

The more you throw things, the more functional power you'll develop in your upper body, which will carry over to other sports like racquets and fighting.

BW, your comments about X-Fit guy were funny.

The rest of your post was a classic BW post. I will just leave it at that. Nicely done.

(ok, I won't leave it at that but instead ask, as relates to throwing: this guy wants to get "in shape". Are you telling me you've never seen a fat baseball pitcher before??)

As always, TR, any insult from you is effectively a compliment.

Consider this: have you ever seen a WEAK baseball pitcher? How about a clumsy one?

Swimming is your answer then. If you're bad at it you'll be less efficient and burn more calories, look at it that way. Indoor rowing is good for getting in shape but I doubt you'll find it as enjoyable. Use it as a supplement to swimming or a warmup/ cool down to weight training.

Old fat and slow wrote:

I can pretty much do everything except go running.

In my immediate post running days I played a lot of sports plus did a ton of lifting (circuits, barbell work, body weight stuff) that kept me in great shape. Then I...... stopped.

Now im probably on year 5 of doing pretty much nothing.

I think if I had an elliptical at home Id be more inclined because of the Netflix option, but I do not.

Any reason you aren't considering outdoor cycling? I can certainly understand not wanting to spend multiple hours a day on an indoor trainer though

Kind of surprised nobody has mentioned yoga. I fell into that skinny loose camp (or whatever you want to call it). Also had a lower back injury that stopped me from running. Started with yoga a few years ago and have actually recovered to the point of being able to get in the odd 5 miler. It also firms you up (if that's what you're looking for), and from the sounds of how hectic your life is, serves as a great break.

Being very bad at swimming is actually a good reason why to start it. If you used to be a good runner, even if you had no injuries, you could not get back to a shape that would be even close to your old self. Swimming would be not only a workout, but also an opportunity to see yourself improving way beyond your peak abilities. OTOH you are right, it is more of a time commitment than putting on shoes and going out to run from your house. I have a very nice spinning bike in the garage and I can get a pretty good workout in on it before the rest of the family is up in the morning. Good luck!

You should start with bodyweight metabolic conditioning workouts and progress to weight training metabolic conditioning workouts.

You do exercises A1 & A2 back to back, rest one minute, repeat and move on to B1 & B2

Workout A

A1) Pushups (3x15) 2-0-1

A2) Inverted Row (3x8) 2-0-1

B1) 1-leg Squat (3x8) 3-1-1

B2) Bicycle Crunch (3x30) 2-0-1

C1) Bulgarian Split Squat (3x8) 2-1-1

C2) Elevated Pushup (3x8) 2-0-1

D1) Reaching Lunge (3x8) 2-0-1

D2) Mountain Climbers (3x12) 1-0-1

Workout B

A1) 1-leg Deadlift (3x8) 2-1-1

A2) Chin-up (3x6) 3-0-1

B1) Step-ups (3x12) 3-0-1

B2) Slow Pushup (3x10) 2-2-1

C1) Prisoner Lunge (3x8) 2-1-1

C2) Side Plank (3x20 seconds)

D1) Close-grip Pushups (3x10) 2-0-1

D2) Plank (3x45 seconds)

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned getting an indoor rower. You can fold them up to store them away and they are reasonably priced. In terms of fitness, they are as good a bang for your buck as running.

cvbcvbgcv wrote:

my question is the the guys who came back from "career ending" injuries. people in this thread are saying they can now run again after they were told they never would again. just how does that happen. my knee is a mess after a failed microfracture years ago and i'd just love to know what it feels like to run again.

In my case, the injury was finally diagnosed as a sports hernia in 1999. At that time, the only recourse was to rest, but I had already tried that when I saw the docs at the Mayo Clinic. Two years later, I decided to try running again. It hurt, but I was slow and gradually built up mileage over a course of a couple months to 3 miles a day until the pain went away. I'm guessing the initial pain when I started back was scar tissue tearing.

There are therapies that aren't covered by insurance that you could look into. Some of my friends have had success with prolotherapy and Platelet Rich Plasma injections. When it works, recovery is amazingly fast. I had success with a chronic heel injury with dry needling plus Interferential Electrical Stimulation. Google these treatments and see if they might help with your injury.

Decent D3 runner - in worse shape than you at 40 - locally/regionally competitive in AG at 50. Your story isn't unusual; there's hope.

Invest in an ElliptiGo. Yes, I'm serious.

Compliment with yoga.

P90X3 is the type of program you're looking for. But it's hard; I don't think you start there.

ofsaa silver wrote:

I can't beleive this bs. Are you guys serious? This guy needs to get his ass moving.

My day:

5:00am up

6:00am squats, legs 30 min cardio

9:00am drop wife off at work

9:15 meet home inspector and contractor

11:00 go to office paperwork and book client meetings

2:00 pick up wife go to hospital for ultrasound expecting baby

3:15 drop wife off back to office

5:00 pick up wife

5:45 - 45 min cardio on road bike indoor trainer

Dinner, bed repeat.

Relax on Sundays.

Stop being a p***y!!!!!

so you work like 4 hours a day? is that even possible? what do you do?